CHAPTER 70: CHAPTER 63: ROOTS OF FUTURE

Delhi – Bombay Port – Early December 1948

The cool December air at Bombay Port was filled with the excited chatter of young people, which was very different from the usual somber formality of diplomatic arrivals.

Two thousand of India’s smartest young people stood on the docks, their faces a mix of nervous excitement and deep ambition. They had been carefully chosen and prepared.

They looked at their Prime Minister, Arjun Mehra, who had come to see them off in person. This was not a normal goodbye; it was the start of India’s intellectual vanguard’s journey into the heart of the world’s industrial powers.

The huge passenger ships SS Ranchi and SS Ranpura loomed behind the students, their hulls shining with fresh paint.

These ships, which were recently bought from British shipping companies as part of the sterling debt negotiations, were more than just transportation. They were also symbols of India’s growing independence from colonial infrastructure.

Narahari D. Parikh, the Minister of Education, stood next to Arjun. His scholarly demeanor was softened by his obvious pride.

"Prime Minister, the last clearances have come through. The US has given visas to a thousand students who want to study agriculture and technology to help modernize the field. The Soviet Union has also given the go-ahead for our thousand engineering and metallurgy students. They are all set."

The process of choosing was very hard. These two thousand were the best of the best of India’s up-and-coming intellectual elite, chosen from a pool of more than fifty thousand applicants.

Each had been tested in school and had their psychological profiling dome by the IB, which most people didn’t know about.

Arjun looked over the neat lines of young men and women. They were the future of India, but they were also more than that.

He knew with cold certainty that some of the IB’s smartest agents were among them. Their minds were sharp not only for schoolwork but also for subtle observation and gathering information.

"Minister Parikh," Arjun said, his voice heavy with the moment, "make sure they know how big of a responsibility they have. They are more than just students. They are representatives of a new India.

Their goal is to learn everything there is to know about modern industry and technology and then go back to India to build a truly self-sufficient country. They must be completely loyal to the country."

Parikh nodded, understanding the unspoken order about loyalty and the IB’s careful planning. "Rest assured, Prime Minister. They know exactly what they have to do."

As for their travels, the SS Ranchi and SS Ranpura, which they had recently acquired by British, would be responsible for taking them to these distant lands.

Getting these ships was a brilliant move in terms of practical diplomacy. Since India didn’t had such large capacity ships, Arjun had decided to buy these instead, until India has the capability to make it’s own such ships.

The ships cost £6 million, which wasn’t a big part of the sterling debt settlement, but they gave the UK something very valuable: complete control over the movement of India’s most valuable people.

The UK’s sterling debt is now stood at £394 million.

As he watched these young students, Arjun recalled the complex route planning. There had been an option to route the Soviet-bound students through China, utilizing Soviet rail lines from Central Asia. But he had not risked it.

The Chinese Civil War was too volatile. India’s prized future intellectuals, and his hidden operatives, could not be exposed to such uncertainty. He had opted for the longer, safer sea route, a testament to his ingrained caution.

A faint flicker of geopolitical longing crossed Arjun’s face as he thought of the map. With Gandhara under Indian control, that tiny, intervening sliver of Afghanistan had become a tantalizing strategic gap.

It was the only thing preventing a direct land link from India to the Soviet Union. A direct land bridge to Moscow, bypassing Western-controlled global chokepoints, would have been invaluable for future resource and technology transfers.

As the ships’ horns echoed across the harbor and the students waved from the decks, Arjun felt the weight of the moment.

These departures marked the beginning of a new phase in India’s development, a phase that would determine whether the nation could achieve true technological independence.

Delhi – Prime Minister’s Office, South Block – Later that Day

Back in the quiet confines of his South Block office, the focus shifted from visible departures to unseen foundations. G.B. Pant, the Planning Minister, had been summoned through back channels. His face, usually so composed, held a rare glint of barely suppressed excitement. He carried a secure, unmarked briefcase.

"Govind-ji," Arjun began, his voice low, "the students are on their way. Now, let’s see how Ashoka Group is coming along."

The Ashoka Group represented the crown jewel of India’s industrial planning, a completely indigenous research and development network that operated in absolute secrecy.

Unlike the public-private partnerships that attracted international attention, the Ashoka Group was funded entirely through discretionary government accounts, its existence known only to a select circle.

Pant opened his briefcase, revealing complex diagrams and progress charts, all meticulously coded. "Prime Minister, the initial phases are proceeding according to schedule. Layer 1 divisions are now officially operational.

The first batches of our handpicked scientists, engineers, and metallurgists—the five thousand individuals you mandated for Layer-I have been discreetly brought into their designated, highly secure facilities across the mainland."

He pointed to a schematic. "Vajra (Foundries), Tejas (Machine Tools), Rasaayan (Chemicals), Jwala (Energy Infrastructure), and Bhumi (Mines/Extraction) have all commenced their primary tasks.

Their focus was simple: to research, reverse-engineer, and develop the foundational components and tools based on the advanced blueprints you provided through the Pragati Core.

And finally after months of theoretical analysis and research, they’re now prepared to start the prototyping and reverse-engineering."

The naming convention was deliberate, each division bore a Sanskrit name that reflected its function while obscuring its true purpose from foreign intelligence services.

Pant’s continued. "For example, the Tejas division is already started their initial work on the prototypes for high-precision lathes and milling machines, by understanding the specific alloys and machining processes required.

Arjun nodded, cold satisfaction in his eyes. "And what about Layers 2 and 3?" Arjun inquired, his voice dropping slightly.

"Layers 2 is currently focused on intensive theoretical research and preliminary conceptual development," Pant explained.

"Their scientists are pouring over the more advanced blueprints you provided, for integrated steel plants (Loha), assembly automation (Aakar), nuclear technology (Shakti), missile propulsion (Agni), and encryption machines (Chakra).

This is purely intellectual groundwork for now. They are reverse-engineering the theory behind the future."

Pant paused, consulting his notes before continuing with evident anticipation. "Prime Minister, regarding Layer 3 lead scientists, I have already reached out to the specific individuals you identified.

Dr. Homi Bhabha, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, Dr. Sisir Kumar Mitra, Dr. C.V. Raman, Dr. S.N. Bose, etc has also responded positively to our preliminary discussions about cutting-edge research in their respective fields."

That’s right. Arjun had deliberately used this strategy where he would attract them using the never-before-seen technology plans.

The scientists believed they were developing revolutionary new technologies by researching conceptual designs, unaware they were reverse-engineering the very future that Arjun had known.

He adjusted his spectacles. "We anticipate this theoretical research phase for Layers 2 and 3 will take approximately another year or two.

By the time they are ready to begin physical reverse-engineering and prototyping—around mid 1949 to early 1950-51, Layer 1 will have already delivered their products: the specialized tools, the unique alloys, the foundational chemical precursors, and the initial energy solutions necessary to build the more complex systems of Layer 2.

And Layer 2, in turn, will start the production of components and infrastructure for Layer 3."

Arjun allowed himself a genuine, if fleeting, smile. This was the blueprint of a truly independent future, a future where India would rely solely on its own ingenuity, its own resources, and its own meticulously cultivated scientific and industrial might.

The seeds were planted and the roots were starting to grow, hidden from the prying eyes of the outside world.

"Excellent, Govind-ji," Arjun affirmed. "Maintain the strictest security. The future of India depends on the silence and efficiency of the Ashoka Group. This is how we ensure our rise is truly unassailable."

As Pant gathered his coded documents and prepared to leave, he paused at the door. "Prime Minister, the scientists often ask about the origins of the advanced blueprints. They are curious about the theoretical foundations that seem to leap decades ahead of current understanding."

Arjun’s expression remained neutral, but his eyes held a hint of something deeper, knowledge that transcended the present moment.

"No worries, Govind-ji. Tell them that genius often appears to leap ahead of its time, Govind-ji. The important thing is not where the knowledge comes from, but how we use it to serve India’s destiny.

Or, even better, send them the invitation that I want to meet them in person. All of the Layer-III lead scientists and engineers."

After Pant left, Arjun walked to his window, looking out over the city that was slowly transforming under his guidance. Delhi bustled below, its citizens unaware of the invisible, self-reinforcing industrial empire slowly, meticulously, rising beneath their very feet.

They would never suspect that the future that they were witnessing, had been planned and designed in absolute secrecy by a man who seemed to understand tomorrow with supernatural clarity.